Book: What You Are Looking For Is In The Library
Author: Michiko Aoyama
Translator: Alison Watts
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Publisher: Doubleday
Pages: 256
What You Are Looking For Is In The Library by Michiko Aoyama, translated from Japanese to English by Alison Watts shows us the story of people who are looking for some hope, trust, motivation, and maybe a book as well. And the recommendations for the book come from the librarian Sayuri Komachi, who not only looks for what one is looking for in the book, but for life, for something that not only helps them in reading a book, but also, living the life.
When the visitors visit the library, “What are you looking for?” from the librarian Sayuri Komachi sounds like “What brings you here?” as asked by counsellors. And the process after that again seems so personal like the latter, as it seems it’s written for us. Even when the situations or protagonists are diagonally opposite from us- the readers, there will be moments when it seems like it’s written for us or even by us. Also, the personal connection that Ms. Komachi builds up through the bonus gifts is mesmerizing.
The book, the stories of the people, the writing style, and the sentences in between bring a deep sense of calmness and comfort and soothe the emotions and vulnerabilities of us, the readers as humans, after creating a sense of restlessness and making us see our emotions naked, without any outfit of the society or environment. And it heals a part of us, maybe a wound about which we weren’t even aware of. And that’s the speciality and power of this book.
The book also has so many humorous moments, especially when the visitors see Ms. Komachi for the first time and their description of her appearance and how it changes after having a conversation with her. Also, I felt naturally inclined to know more about the books that were suggested and I hope to read a few of them sometime, especially “Guri and Gura”.
Also, this was my first book and the introduction to Japanese Literature and if it is like this, I want to explore more. And I hope that we all get a librarian like Ms. Komachi.
I was inclined towards this book because of the title and the cover, but I can assure you that the story inside is more beautiful and heartwarming than that and I hope you all read it. This book is a favourite and it’s definitely a book that I’ll highly recommend to everyone, no matter who you are, just read it. It’s 5.5/5. (Yes, you read it right, I was discussing with Sukaina di about this book while buddy reading and I said I wish I could give it more than 5 and she said it’s 5.5, and so yes, now it’s 5.5!!)
I was provided a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
You can buy the book from Amazon or any bookstore near you!
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